Wisconsin players storm the field after Eddie Faulkner's touchdown run in OT.(AP)

"I thought we let one slip away today," Cincinnati coach Rick Minter said.

As Faulkner pranced into the end zone, the Badgers (3-0) stormed the end zone, relieved after their third straight close call.

"I don't even remember the last run, to tell you the truth," Faulker said. "I just remember coming to the line of scrimmage and seeing the opening. When the safety rubbed off, I was like, `I've got to get in now if it's 1-on-1."'

A loss to the Bearcats would have been devastating to the Badgers, but not as stunning as last year's 17-12 stumble. This time, the Badgers were depleted by suspensions and the Bearcats, fresh off a victory over Syracuse, were strengthened by experience and a 2-0 start.

In addition to star running back Michael Bennett, the Badgers were without their two best defensive players (tackle Wendell Bryant and All-American cornerback Jamar Fletcher) and their top two receivers (Chris Chambers and Nick Davis).

They were among a dozen players who served suspensions for receiving unadvertised discounts at a shoe store.

"We're struggling because we don't have all our players," Badgers coach Barry Alvarez said. "There are no quality points for wins. It's just a W or an L. I'm just hoping to survive early on because of the stuff going on."

The Badgers, whose suspensions end after next week's Big Ten opener against Northwestern, sat five starters.

Bearcats fullback Ray Jackson, who rushed for 65 yards and caught a 51-yard touchdown pass, said he would rather have faced Fletcher and Bryant "so they could have tested us."

Wisconsin went ahead 22-19 on quarterback Brooks Bollinger's 1-yard dive with 23 seconds left in regulation.

But Antonio Chatman returned the kickoff 26 yards to the Bearcats' 33, then caught passes of 12, 13 and 13 yards from Deontey Kenner before Jason Mammarelli -- whose 47-yard field goal on the last play beat the Orangemen -- kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired.

In overtime, Cincinnati's Jonathan Ruffin, who missed an extra point in the fourth quarter, kicked a 20-yard field goal for a 25-22 lead.

Faulkner, a seldom-used senior who carried 19 times for a career-best 124 yards, gained 9 yards on first down and scored on second-and-1, extending Wisconsin's winning streak to 11, second-longest in the nation.

Minter didn't need to see him Saturday to know about Faulkner.

"Fast Eddie Faulkner from Muncie, Ind.," he said. "I tried to recruit Eddie myself. It's just a disappointing way to end a ballgame, losing it with our face in the dirt."

The Bearcats went ahead 19-13 with 9:26 left when Jackson slipped behind linebacker Jeff Mack, hauled in a pass from Kenner and scampered 51 yards for the score.

"It was just really a freak play. They got us in a bad defense," Madck said.

But Ruffin was wide right on the point after.

The Badgers buried the Bearcats at their own 2 with a 55-yard punt by Kevin Stempke with 3:21 left, and on fourth down, Cincinnati deliberately snapped the ball out of the end zone for a safety.

That made it 19-15.

"If we had to do it over, we might not take a safety and give them two," Minter said. "That proved to be our undoing. But we thought the field position struggle and the time on the clock would work for us."

Wisconsin got the ball at its 40 with 2:06 remaining, then drove 60 yards in 10 plays for the go-ahead score.

"It's unfortunate that we took the safety and missed the extra point," Minter said. "That's three points that affected the outcome."

Still smarting from last year's loss at Cincinnati, the Badgers came out fired up, especially defensive end John Favret, who stuffed a run, deflected a pass and smothered Kenner on the first three snaps. Less than two minutes later, the Badgers were up 7-0 on Bollinger's 8-yard keeper.

But the Bearcats scored on their next three possessions. Ruffin kicked a 36-yard field goal and Mammarelli added a 45-yarder before Kenner hit LaDaris Vann with a 13-yard TD pass.

Paramedics helped a security guard who was pinned against a fence during the Badgers' celebration. His injuries were not believed to be serious.